Jul 23, 2014

One of the smartphones that has seen a great deal of rumors and leaks over the past several months but hasn’t gone official as of now is the Samsung Galaxy Alpha, which many of you might know under the name of Galaxy F.

The handset, supposedly set to land on shelves as a premium flavor of the Samsung Galaxy S5, is now said to have made it online in a series of leaked live photos. Said images, available courtesy of Vietnamese website Tinhte, indeed depict a device that resembles a lot the Galaxy S5, but which sports a metallic body, just as the Galaxy Alpha has been previously rumored to sport. What’s interesting to note is the fact that the handset in said leaked images appears to feature the LTE-A logo on the back, which suggests that it would have a Snapdragon 805 processor inside. Moreover, as pocketdroid.net notes, this could also suggest that the mobile phone might be available exclusively in South Korea, at least in the beginning. Overall, we might see the new device landing on shelves with about the same hardware specifications as the Samsung Galaxy S5, though in a smaller form factor.

Recent reports on the matter have suggested that the mobile phone might come to shelves with a 4.7-inch touchscreen display, albeit one that would deliver a great resolution (some suggest that it would be a Quad HD panel). The aforementioned Snapdragon 805 processor should be paired with 3GB of RAM for increased performance capabilities. Most probably, the mobile phone will also run under the latest flavor of the Android KitKat operating system, provided that it is indeed released in the next few months. Since no official confirmation on the phone has been provided, and since there’s no way to verify whether said leaked photos are the real deal or not, we’ll take the info with a grain of salt for the time being. However, with most of the reports on the yet unannounced device claiming that Samsung would be ready to make it official in a matter of months, it won’t come as a surprise if things pan out in the end.

As far as rumor goes, Samsung might be determined to make both the Galaxy Alpha and the new Galaxy Note 4 devices official during the IFA 2014 trade show in Berlin. Hopefully, more on the matter will emerge soon, so keep an eye on this space for additional details.

Jul 22, 2014

Hardcore PC owners would probably argue that there is no such thing as overkill, especially when it comes to CPU and memory speeds, but I would beg to differ when faced with what ADATA has just released.

The company has formally launched a dual-channel memory kit composed of two modules with a clock of 3,100 MHz frequency: XPG V3. There used to be a time when 2,500 MHz was considered a huge overclock for memory whose technical specification says 1,600 and 1,866 MHz should be the upper “limits.” Clearly, RAM device makers are not concerned with this as pedestrian as “limits.” Adata designed this positively ludicrously overclocked memory kit for systems powered by Z97 motherboards and Intel's Haswell and Broadwell high-end CPUs (Core i3, i5 and i7).

The memory supports Intel XMP 1.3 (Extreme Memory Profile) and has a bandwidth of 24.8 GB/s. Also, the 8-layer PCB with 2oz copper improves cooling performance, which is why the heatspreaders (Thermal Conductive Technology, TCT for short) can even handle the heat caused by the frequency of over 3,000 MHz in the first place. Alas, ADATA did not say what humongous price it intends to charge for a dual-channel, two-module kit. Curiously, it didn't even specify a capacity (it would presumably be offered in 8 GB and/or 16 GB variants).

Today, Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi officially announced the upcoming availability of a new flagship handset, in the form of Xiaomi Mi4.

The new device went official during a press event held in Beijing, and it is said to be the fastest smartphone in the world. To ensure high-end performance capabilities for its device, Xiaomi included a 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 processor inside it, along with 3GB of RAM. When last year’s Xiaomi Mi3 was launched, the mobile phone maker claimed that it was the fastest handset in the world at the time, just as it does for the Mi4 today. However, the powerful processor is not the only highly appealing feature that Xiaomi is teasing for its new handset. The company is also touting the phone’s 3080mAh battery as being able to deliver up to one day and a half of usage time, more than what most 5-inch flagship smartphones out there can offer. Moreover, the handset vendor notes that the battery can be charged at 60 percent in less than an hour, so that users won’t stay away from their devices for too long.

The new Xiaomi Mi4 was also announced with a 5-inch touchscreen display that can deliver a full HD resolution and with back-cover replacements to add extra customization options to the package. On the back, the smartphone sports a 13-megapixel camera with a Sony IMX214 sensor, which is capable of recording videos in 4K resolution. Moreover, the mobile phone will arrive on shelves with an 8-megapixel camera on the front and an f/1.8 sensor with 80-degree wide-angle lens, enabling users to enjoy a great experience when it comes to snapping selfies. Xiaomi Mi4 was announced in two different flavors, one featuring 16GB of internal memory, while the other packing 63GB of storage.

The new handset also arrives on shelves with the usual set of connectivity capabilities and sensors inside, while running under the Android operating system. The phone will also sport nano-coating for water resistance. Moreover, the phone features Xiaomi’s own MIUI loaded on top, which provides users with a wide range of customization capabilities. The mobile phone maker confirmed that a new variant of the user interface was set to become available in August, in the form of MIUI 6.5. Users in China interested in the purchase of Xiaomi Mi4 should know that the device is set to be put up for pre-order in the country as soon as July 29, as AndroidOS reports. The handset will be quite affordable, considering its hardware specs. The 16GB model will cost 1,999 Yuan ($322/€238), while the 64GB variant will be priced at 2,499 Yuan ($403/€298).

Jul 21, 2014

Chinese mobile phone maker Gionee appears determined to bring to the market the thinnest smartphone out there, in the form of Gionee GN9005, which has emerged in China with a body that is only 5mm thick.

The handset has already received the necessary approvals in its homeland market, and we might see it going official very soon with the aforementioned thin body and with a 4.8-inch AMOLED touchscreen display that can deliver a 720 x 1280 pixels resolution. The mobile phone should also arrive on shelves with a 1.2GHz quad-core processor inside, as well as with 1GB of RAM. Moreover, it was listed at TENAA in China with 16GB of internal memory, it seems. On the back, the upcoming Gionee GN9005 will sport an 8-megapixel camera, which will be complemented by a 5MP front camera for making video calls while on the go.

The specs list of this device is also said to include a 2050mAh battery, along with Google’s Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system loaded on top. The new handset is expected to arrive in China with TD-LTE connectivity inside, which would make it fit for the network of wireless carrier China Mobile. Unfortunately, no specific info on its release date and pricing has been provided as of now.

South Korean mobile phone maker LG Electronics has been long rumored to plan on releasing a new, updated flavor of the LG G3 smartphone, and it appears that all might go down before the end of this week.

According to info coming from South Korean website Naver, the new device model, long referred to as LG G3 Prime, should go official as soon as July 25.In fact, we should note that said handset has already emerged online in South Korea, under the name of LG G3 Cat. 6, even if it hasn’t been officially introduced in the country as of now. What the new device model will bring along when compared to the original LG G3 variant is support for Category 6 LTE-Advanced networks, with speeds of up to 225 Mbps. This is due to the inclusion of a Snapdragon 805 processor inside the new smartphone variant, which not only offers support for the faster data transfer rates, but also delivers increased performance capabilities. The rest of the handset’s hardware specifications should remain unchanged, which means that those who will go for the LG G3 Prime will still enjoy a 5.5-inch touchscreen display capable of delivering a Quad HD (1440 x 2560 pixels) resolution.

Moreover, the mobile phone sports 3GB of RAM, along with 32GB of internal memory, paired with a microSD memory card slot for expansion purposes. On the back, the LG G3 features a 13-megapixel camera with Optical Image Stabilization and support for 4K video recording, complemented by a 2MP front camera for making video calls while on the go. The handset is powered by a 3000mAh battery, while also featuring support for 3G networks, along with the usual Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC capabilities. The same as its predecessor, the smartphone comes with back-mounted power and volume buttons. However, it also adds a Laser Focus sensor on the back, so that users receive a better experience when it comes to snapping photos. LG G3 runs under the Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system, but also sports LG’s own set of customizations and exclusive applications loaded on top.

The new LG G3 Prime is expected to become available for purchase only in South Korea, at least in the beginning. However, chances are that LG will work with other LTE-A carriers to release it in other markets out there as well. What remains to be seen at the moment is whether the phone will indeed become official before the end of this week, so stay tuned to learn more on the matter.

Moto X, the flagship Android-based handset that Motorola launched last year (though only a mid-range device), might not be the only phone in the company’s lineup to see a successor before the end of 2014, the latest reports on the matter suggest.

Moto G, the cheaper variant of Moto X, is also said to be receiving such a treatment in the not too distant future, and info on what could prove to be this handset’s sequel made it online today. The mobile phone, supposedly called Moto G2, has emerged online in an allegedly leaked photo, which confirms that it will arrive on shelves with a front speaker, similar to its predecessor. Moreover, the device is said to sport model number 1068 XT and to run under the latest flavor of Google’s Android operating system. The leaked info on this handset has emerged online courtesy of mallandonoandroid, yet no official confirmation on the matter has been provided as of now. Rumor has it that the mobile phone will arrive on the market with a quad-core ARM V7 processor inside, paired with Adreno 305 graphics, and that it will also feature dual-SIM capabilities. Moreover, the Moto G2 is supposedly set to launch with a touchscreen display capable of delivering a 1280 x 720 pixels resolution. However, info on its size hasn’t been provided as of now.

The specs list of this mobile phone would also include an 8-megapixel camera on the back, most probably capable of recording videos in full HD resolution. A front-facing camera will also be present on this device, along with the usual set of connectivity capabilities and sensors. Unfortunately, as mentioned above, no official word on this mobile phone has been provided as of now, and it remains to be seen how much of the info presented above will pan out in the end. Undoubtedly, Motorola is preparing the release of a Moto G successor, especially when considering the success that the original device has enjoyed in various markets out there. At the same time, we can assume that the company will be releasing the phone at a price tag similar with that of the predecessor, so as to ensure that it continues to attract users on its side.

In addition to this phone, the vendor is also expected to launch a Moto X sequel before the end of this year, and it might also be working on even cheaper devices, similar to the Moto E that landed earlier this year.

Jul 18, 2014

Network-attached storage devices are a great way to add centralized storage space to a network, which anyone with a desktop, laptop or mobile device (tablet/phone) can access via LAN, Wi-Fi or even the Internet if you set it up that way. QNAP has just delivered the latest upgrade to its NAS units.

You see, most NAS devices, whether made by QNAP or others, can't handle anything larger than 4 TB. Even those that can usually have 5 TB as the upper HDD/SSD limit. Now, though, QNAP has announced that its Enterprise and Small-Medium-Business lines of Turbo NAS products can successfully accept and read HGST Ultrastar He6 helium-filled hard disk drives (HDD) with 6 TB capacity. It has been a long time coming, but HGST has finally started to persuade OEMs to use the things.

In 8-drive units, this means a total of 48 TB, though RAID setups will take around 10% of that in order to “fool” every network-connected system into thinking there is just one huge drive volume available, not several. RAID brings great benefits in performance and security. The exact range of supporting products for the helium-filled HDDs is this: QNAP Turbo NAS TS-x79U-SAS series and QNAP expansion enclosures REXP series.

Jul 17, 2014

Today, Microsoft announced some major changes in its smartphone strategy moving forth, including a large number of layoffs from the former Nokia Devices and Services division, but it seems that the company did not reveal all on its plans for the future.

The company said that it would streamline production at some factories and that the engineering process would be restructured to only two of Nokia sites in Finland (though others would continue to operate as support), but it seems that there’s more to it. Within the next 18 months, we might see the Asha, Series 40, and Nokia X series of devices completely shut down, as the company is shifting focus on Windows Phone and Lumia devices. Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO, has already said that some Nokia X devices will be re-purposed to Lumia phones, and Stephen Elop has reiterated that, while also saying that current Android devices will continue to be available for purchase and will also receive support. However, an internal memo from Jo Harlow, head of Microsoft’s phone business, clears things up a bit more, revealing that Asha, Series 40, and Nokia X devices are being moved into "maintenance mode" effective immediately, The Verge reports.

Thus, they will no longer receive new features, although support for them will still be offered for the next 18 months. Past that, these handsets will be completely removed from Microsoft’s plans. "This means there will be no new features or updates to services on any Mobile Phones platform as a result of these plans," Jo Harlow reportedly says in the aforementioned internal memo. "Whereas successful hardware was the goal at Nokia; delighting our customers with Microsoft platforms, services and applications through our hardware is our goal at Microsoft,” she also notes. Thus, Microsoft will focus completely on Windows Phone and on increasing its market presence in the high-end and entry-level segments, it seems.

"To drive success in the short term, we plan to focus our high end go-to-market strategy on the Lumia 930, Lumia 1520, and other high-end products that we will be announcing very soon," Harlow says. As part of the restructuring plans, Microsoft will also kill MixRadio, it seems. This service too has been moved to maintenance mode, and the company is said to be looking into transforming it into a third-party service, and is also considering spinning it off. Said memo also reveals that the Redmond-based company will work on the building of new flagship products to be released alongside the next iteration of Windows Phone, which will arrive next year under the codename of Threshold.

New reports coming from Chinese and French sources give us a little more insight on the next generation iPhone. Apple future device may be greatly improved when it comes to taking photos and videos and the battery life may be considerably higher.

A report on a Chinese Sony related forum (http://www.digi-wo.com/thread-19938-1-1.html) explains that a component made by Sony will be included in the iPhone 6. The IMX220 camera sensor has a higher megapixel count than the current iPhone 5s camera: 13MP. It also sports a 1/2.3 inch sensor that records videos in 1080p (just like the previous iPhone model). Apple usually doesn't talk about camera specs, but it does compare it to previous models. For example, when the iPhone 5s came out, the device had a sensor that increases the are for pixels by 15 percent and the pixels themselves were larger. The aperture was increased with the iSight camera and light sensitivity was larger by 33 percent. The iPhone 5s also introduced a dual flash and auto image stabilization. The iPhone 5s camera has a sapphire crystal lens cover, backside illumination sensor, five-element lens and a Hybrid IR filter.

Another leak comes from the French blog Nowhereelse.fr and it is related to the battery of the next generation iPhone. According to the mentioned source, the iPhone 6 will incorporate a 1,810 mAh cell which is considerably larger than the 1,560 mAh one found in the iPhone 5s. Sure, the iPhone 6 may have a larger case and that can easily accommodate a larger battery, but it will supposedly have a larger display as well - 4,7 inch instead of a four inch one. The increase will kill the battery even faster so a larger capacity one is a must have. The source says the new capacity is still way behind the battery for Android-powered devices like Galaxy S5 and HTC One (M8). But then again, Apple is optimizing the internal components and software to have a lower power consumption. iOS 8 may also contribute at the way the battery is drained.

The tech giant from California is getting ready to release the new iPhone this fall. The new device might be announced on September 19th and launched a week later, on September 25th. The device will supposedly have a 4.7" diagonal display made from sapphire glass.

Jul 16, 2014

Last week, Canadian mobile phone maker BlackBerry has officially announced the availability of its BBM application for Windows Phone users in a beta flavor, and it seems that it is finally ready to make it available for download.

The company has provided users with the possibility to register for the beta testing of the application, but did not provide users with info on when the application will actually arrive on their devices. A recent tweet coming from Jeff Gadway, the head of product and brand marketing for BBM, reveals that this will happen as soon as tomorrow, July 17. The beta testing program filled up pretty fast after BlackBerry’s official announcement, yet the company also offered users the possibility to sign up for a waiting list, which should provide them with the possibility to get a taste of the app before many others.

Those who did make it into the beta program, however, should sit tight and wait for the application to become available for download for them tomorrow. No specific info on when the rest of Windows Phone users out there will receive access to the app has been provided as of now, but BlackBerry did say that the app will enjoy general release in a matter of weeks, so they might not have that long to wait in the end.

All Bitcoin fans should rejoice as Google has finally introduced price conversion for the cryptocurrency directly into the search results page.

The ability to make the switch between various currencies in the world is one of Google’s coolest features on the search engine since it considerably cuts down on the time needed to find a proper conversion tool. Now, if you want, you can simply type “price of Bitcoin” or “5 bitcoin to Euro” and get the result straight on the page. The feature was recently rolled out by Google and it seems like it was the logical next step after the company introduce Bitcoin prices into the Finance section. Furthermore, the fact that Bing has already been offering such conversion options for a while must have annoyed Google quite a bit. Just like Bing, Google is providing the currency conversions from Coinbase after signing a partnership with the site.

This isn’t exactly a major update for Google, but it does indicate that the company has come to the conclusion that Bitcoins should be treated just like any other currency by including it in the list with all the rest. While integrating Bitcoin in the Google Wallet may still be some distance away, this is a good step for the company.

The term Ultrabook may only be used to describe entertainment-minded, super-thin mobile personal computers, but there are other types of laptops that are just as thin, or close enough that the difference is negligible. The WS60 2OJ from Micro-Star International is such an example.

In truth, the Origin EVO15-S gaming notebook is an example as well, but that one is still an entertainment-minded device, if on a level far higher than mere web surfing and film playback. MSI's newest laptop stands out even more because it is not made for consumer entertainment, although one could still use it to run films, games and pretty much anything else. Basically, the MSI WS60 2OJ is a mobile workstation, a professional laptop in other words, that even the most demanding video/virtual designers should find sufficient, if not excellent, for their needs. After all, between the Intel Core i7 quad-core central processing unit (Core i7-4710HQ, 2.5 GHz clock) and the NVIDIA Quadro K2100M graphics card (2GB GDDR5), CAD/CAM programs will run smoothly, much to the joy of M&E (Multimedia & Entertainment) designers, as well as engineers. The diagonal of the MSI WS60 2OJ is 15.6 inches, which is another point scored in the “ultrabook” trait list.

It's actually surprising that MSI didn't use a discrete graphics card with more VRAM, but we suppose space still set some limits as to how many heat-generating parts could fit before the cooling stopped keeping up. After all, while MSI did implement the Cooler Boost 2 technology, the dual-fan thermal cooling can only do so much before even its efficiency proves not enough to offset the heat waves. Moving on, storage is provided by an HDD of 1 TB and two solid state drives of varying capacity. The top transfer speed, for reading and writing files, is of 1,000 MB/s because of the SuperRAID technology that “merges” the two SSDs into a single whole, as far as the operating system is concerned.

Furthermore, the newcomer uses Thunderbolt 2 technology with bi-directional 10 Gbps speed, plus USB 3.0, which, while 4 times slower, is still essential and much more widespread. Combined, the interfaces let you transfer 10 HD videos in 3 minutes to and from an external storage device (though it depends on the flash drive, HDD, SSD or whatever else). Finally, the 15.6-inch LCD is a 2880 x 1620 IPS panel and can be extended to two other monitors if you have them. This is good for multi-tasking (one window per screen). All in all, the MSI WS60 2OJ notebook weighs 1.9 kg / 4.18 pounds and is 19.9 mm thin / 0.78 inches.

Jul 15, 2014

Last week, Canadian mobile phone maker BlackBerry showed the first signs that its Messenger was finally ready to arrive on Windows Phone devices, and released the BBM for Windows Phone mobile client in a beta flavor.

Initially available only to users included in a private beta testing program, the app was then pushed out to more users as part of a public testing initiative, but has yet to arrive on all devices out there. However, it appears that the first update for the application has already been released, and that the mobile software is available for download as version 1.0.0.2 at the moment. Unfortunately, we have no info on what the updated release brings along. While this means that the application is moving closer to its general availability on Microsoft’s mobile OS, no specific info on when that will actually happen has been provided as of now.

Last week, BlackBerry announced that the application would be released for all Windows Phone users out there in a matter of weeks, and this is the only release timeframe that we have for it at the moment. Hopefully, additional info on the matter will emerge in the not-too-distant future, so keep an eye on this space for more info on the matter. Those who have already enrolled in the BBM for Windows Phone beta testing program should update the app to get a taste of what’s new in it.

Jul 13, 2014

When you see a motherboard colored in a mixture of black and red, and boasting sleek-looking heatsinks, you know you're looking at one of the better ones out there. As it happens, the new ASUS H97 Pro Gamer is more than a few steps higher than “above average.”

The easiest way to confirm that is to look at the storage loadout. And we don't just mean the standard STA 6.0 Gbps available for SSD and HDD installation. No, what sticks out is the fact that the ASUS H97 Pro Gamer is one of the very rare mainboards and features SATA Express support and, more than that, wires the M.2 slots through the PCI Express root complex rather than SATA. You see, M.2 is a new form factor of solid state drives, as large as two of your fingers, or just one, but with the potential of working at 1.8 GB/s or more. However, that performance is only possible if the M.2 ports are wired through PCI Express technology instead of SATA 6.0 Gbps, which, as we said, is a rare occurrence still. ASUS H97 Pro Gamer does, indeed, use PCI Express lanes for the M.2 slot, a pair of PCI Express 2.0 ones to be precise, enabling 10 Gbps bandwidth.

You will have to make sure that the M.2 SSDs you buy are designed with PCI Express-based M.2 support though. The controller determines the compatibility just as much as the motherboard in this case does. Moving on, the H97 Pro Gamer motherboard also has SATA Express support, whereby SATA ports can achieve 10 Gbps. In theory, SATA Express should go all the way up to 12 Gbps, thanks to a combination of SATA III (6.0 Gbps) and PCI Express, but ASUS settled for 10 here. In addition to high-speed storage, the ASYS H97 Pro Gamer mainboard supports Gigabit Ethernet technology with GameFirst II, which reduces lag by prioritizing game data.

High-end audio is another thing, enabled by SupremeFX technology with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 115 dB and built-in amplifier. In layman terms, it means that audio quality isn't lost when you hit “play.” It helps that an electromagnetic interference (EMI) protective shield surrounds the audio chipset. Finally, ASUS' new motherboard has the kind of durability that all high-end motherboards are known for, thanks to resettable fuses (DRAM and connector ports protected by overcurrent and short-circuit damage) and other such components. Finally, ASUS included the efficiency and reliability-boosting DIGI+ voltage-regulator module (VRM) and a stainless-steel back input/output (I/O) panel plated with chromium (it resists corrosion and lasts three times longer than normal panels). Find the dry specs of the newcomer on the H97-Pro Gamer product page.

Jul 11, 2014

NVIDIA's Maxwell graphics processing unit generation was supposed to be designed on the 20nm manufacturing process, but with TSMC having big problems with the node, this won't happen. Thus, even the top chip, the one that will be used on the GeForce GTX Titan II, will be built on the 28nm technology instead.

Admittedly, we aren't totally sure that NVIDIA's next-generation top-end graphics card will be called Titan again, but since we've already had a Titan, Titan Black and Titan-Z (dual-GPU), it is highly likely. The Santa Clara, California-based IT player hasn't actually released any information about the card, or really gone into detail about the Maxwell GPU range as a whole. However, it wasn't able to completely conceal all evidence that a Maxwell-based successor to the GeForce GTX Titan Black was in the works. A shipping manifest has been discovered, one that mentioned a video card powered by the GM200 A1 graphics processing unit. Previously, we’ve heard reports that NVIDIA will start the next-generation video board series with the GM204 Maxwell, which will power the GeForce GTX 880 Ti, GTX 880, GTX 870, and GTX 860.

The fact that the new manifest mentions the GM200, which is supposed to be held in reserve for a good while, implies that a Titan board is what we should be looking forward to here. The discovery of the manifest, along with the knowledge that the GM200 will be built on the 28nm process, does, however, debunk the other half of the rumor surrounding the Maxwell line (the one that said NVIDIA would jump to 16nm). Anyway, the GM200 will probably measure around 620 square millimeters, which is quite large even among high-end GPUs. Inside, there will be 4,000 shader processors (probably) and a 512-bit memory interface.

Below you can see a picture of a PCB that was leaked earlier this week, but whose identity was unknown at the time. There seem to be two 6-pin PCI Express power connectors and one 8-pin port available, suggesting a truly high power consumption, not that it's a surprise, although it does make one wonder how much energy a dual-GPU Maxwell card will need. This is even more perplexing considering that energy needs are supposed to go down the more technology advances, instead of up. It is possible that the “Titan II” and the aforementioned GeForce GTX 880 are one and the same unit. However, the 700 series does have a GTX 780 Ti, yet the Titan Black is better than it, so it can actually go either way.

A few days ago, the long-expected BBM for Windows Phone application arrived in the Windows Phone Store, only to be tagged as a private beta, but good news has emerged for enthusiasts today.

While getting ready for the full release of the application, BlackBerry has decided to make it available in an open beta, and has already started to accept applications from users interested in testing it out. In a recent post on BlackBerry’s official blog, Jeff Gadway, head of product and brand marketing for BBM, has revealed that users can already head over to the Beta Zone to register for the application. “The BBM team here at BlackBerry has been busy getting BBM for Windows Phone ready to go. We’re preparing for an external beta ahead of our launch and are ready to start accepting applications to participate,” he notes. “Now remember, this is a beta and our expectation is that participants will help us make BBM for Windows Phone great by actively participating. If you’re not ready to report bugs, respond to surveys and provide feedback – better to wait just a bit longer for the full release.”

The stable version of BBM for Windows Phone is expected to become available in the next few weeks with all of the sharing features and capabilities that the service can offer to users on other mobile platforms out there as well. The application will arrive on Microsoft’s operating system with BBM Chats, enabling users to engage into conversations with one or more contacts, while also allowing them to easily share content, including photos, voice notes, contacts and location. BBM Groups will also be available in Windows Phone, so that users could connect and share with up to 50 contacts at the same time.

Moreover, it comes with a private group chat and the option to share a photo album so that group members could chat about pics. Shared calendars and lists will also be included in the application, along with broadcast messages. “We’ll be working to quickly add more features to BBM for Windows Phone such as stickers, BBM Voice, BBM Channels and location sharing powered by Glympse in the months ahead,” Gadway says. BBM for Windows Phone will also arrive with a simplified look and feel, featuring a native user interface, in line with the clean, modern design of the Windows Phone UI.

The app will focus on three major areas, namely Contacts, Chats and Feeds, which can be easily accessible by swiping left and right. A series of common actions can be found at the bottom of the page in the footer, while clicking on the three dots will bring up a menu with additional controls. Overall, BBM for Windows Phone appears set to deliver a highly appealing experience to all users, so head over to the BlackBerry Beta Zone to sign up for the application, if you would like to test it before it rolls out to everyone.

Jul 10, 2014

Taiwanese website Business Weekly is suggesting some good numbers for Apple's next order of iPhone. According to their sources, the Cupertino-based tech giant just places an order for 68 million units.

Same report says that the customers will have the option of choosing either a 5.5 inch display or a smaller 4.7 inch one. The production will start this month and Apple will work with their usual manufacturing partners in China - Foxconn and Pegatron. If these numbers are anything close to reality, the iPhone 6 will be the most successful device sold in recent history. And if you only count the big touch screen devices Apple will take the lead in that business. According to the same report, the Taiwanese Topology Research Institute has predicted that the iPhone 6 will sell around 80 million units in 2014 alone. 90 percent of that number should be taken by the 4.7 inch model and the rest will be the 5.5" iPhone.

On another note, new iPhone parts come out of the Chinese plants every day. After we've seen the curved edge display and the back casing of the iPhone 6, the time has come to get our eyes on another Apple piece of technology: the LCD assembly and the home button of the future iPhone. Soon enough we will be able to put together our own working iPhone 6 just by using the parts.

Now this is reinventing the wheel! Apple has filed a Patent Application with the US Patent and Trademark Office to show an audio jack housing that doubles as a speaker.

Imagine you only have one opening at the bottom of your iPhone - the Audio Jack and when there's nothing plugged in, you can still hear the sound loud an clear. Well, somebody at Apple has thought on that and has come up with an innovation to make his dream come true. The schematic shows how the channel for the Audio Jack Housing can be turned into an Acoustic Port. Connected to an Audio Driver, that connector has now a double function. This way, the speaker does not communicate directly with the exterior of the device. There are less openings, but you can still hear the sound and use the casing for something else. PattentlyApple notes that future iPhones may not require External Audio Grilles at all. The patent is credited to John Raff and it appears to be filed originally over an year and a half ago.

Another idea is to use the Lightning Port as a replacement for the Audio Jack. If Apple manages to combine all three of those into just one port than the iPhone 7 or 8 may only have one opening - the Lightning port. Apple recently acquired the headphones and music company Beats Audio owned by Dr. Dre. The new division may already be working at high tech audio systems to be incorporated in future iPhones. On the other hand, Apple has a hard time convincing other manufacturers to join them in turning the Lightning Port as the audio port of the future.

Computer World notes that during WWDC Apple suggested that headset manufacturers could use the connector. "This is a module that breaks out analog audio for you ... and connects straight into the Lightning connector on your iOS devices," said Robert Walsh, the manager of Apple's platform accessories."It also provides a digital interface ... so you can offer richer controls for your users, such as integration with iTunes Radio. The Lightning connector is [also] capable of powering your accessories so you don't need batteries in your headphones, for example, to power your noise cancellation."

This is not Apple's first attempt to get rid of connectors and technologies that they find old and limited. In the past, Apple has successfully taken the Floppy Disk, Optical Drive, BlueRay Disc Drive out of there agenda.

Mobile phone maker Motorola has been long rumored to plan the release of a successor to the Moto X handset, but it appears that it is preparing some other devices as well, and that one of them has emerged in a leaked video.

The clip can be seen embedded below, available courtesy of TK Tech News, and the handset in it is said to be different from the previously rumored Moto X successor, which might arrive on shelves under the name of Moto X+1. Moreover, they claim that this handset might actually be released as part of Motorola’s DROID lineup, and that it will sport a screen larger than 5 inches. In fact, the phone is compared to the Nexus 5 in this clip, and you can see both of them at the 1:45 minute mark, where it is clear that the new Motorola phone is larger than the latest Google phone out there. One other interesting thing that should be noted about the phone is the fact that is has emerged in said leaked video with the Android L operating system loaded on top, which would suggest that it will be announced in the fourth quarter of the year. Of course, there is also the possibility that this is nothing more than a fake, so we’ll take it with a grain of salt for the time being.

However, it’s clear that Google has been giving the Android L operating system to phone makers out there to test it out, and Motorola is certainly one of those to receive it first, since it is part of the Mountain View-based Internet giant. On the other hand, Motorola was already expected to bring new devices to the market before the end of this year, and the handset that can be seen in the video below might be one of them, that’s for sure. Unfortunately, no specific info on the hardware specs of this mobile phone has been provided as of now, and it remains to be seen what else it might have to offer in addition to the aforementioned larger-than-5-inch screen.

Most probably, we’ll see it launched with a quad-core Snapdragon processor inside, 1GB or 2GB of RAM, and with a 13MP or higher camera on the back. Should this device be the release deal, however, we’ll certainly learn more on its capabilities in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, however, have a look at the video embedded below to get a glimpse of the upcoming device.

Upcoming Motorola DROID phone leaks on video
Image credits to YouTube

Here is the second video showing the display quality next to a nexus 5 and how big it is, Also looks to be running Android L, Stay tuned as we go to get hands on time with this device. New Droid or Moto X+1 we don't know. We do know at how big it is it has a front speaker on the bottom. This is no moto e as that's smaller than the nexus. anyway we got this in and decided to put it up. Let us know what you think?
Video credits to TK Tech News

Jul 9, 2014

When it comes to considering the purchase of a new Android-based Sony smartphone this year, the Xperia Z3 appears to be the device to keep an eye on, yet the handset isn’t official as of now, and other phones in the company’s lineup are currently seeing expanded availability out there.

The Xperia Z2a (D6563) is one of them, and the device is now official in Taiwan, after being released in Japan earlier this year under the name of Xperia ZL2. The new device was announced there with support for the country’s full-band 4G LTE (700MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz) network, which makes it the first handset from Sony Mobile to include the functionality. According to a recent post on XperiaBlog, the new mobile phone was made public with a price tag of NT$18,900 (£369, €464, $632) attached to it, though carriers and retailers there might launch it cheaper. Apparently, wireless carriers such as Chunghwa Telecom, FarEasTone and Taiwan Mobile are set to add it to their offerings, and users will be able to choose between three different color flavors when purchasing it, including Black, White and Turquoise.

The Sony Xperia Z2a was announced in Taiwan with a 5-inch touchscreen display capable of delivering a full HD resolution, while being powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AB) processor. Additionally, the mobile phone arrives on shelves with 3GB of RAM, as well as with 16GB of internal memory, and with a microSD memory card slot for expansion purposes. On the back, the handset features a 20.7-megapixel camera with Exmor RS sensor, capable of recording videos in full HD resolution. Apparently, Sony packed the mobile phone only with a VGA front camera. As you would expect from such a phone, the usual 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Hotspot, and GPS receiver capabilities are also included in the package, along with the entire set of common sensors.

The same as other phones in the Xperia Z series, the Xperia Z2a too sports dust- and water-resistant capabilities, being IP55 and IP58 certified. The smartphone runs under the Android 4.4 KitKat operating system, but it also boasts a variety of customizations and exclusive features coming from Sony itself. Unfortunately, Sony hasn’t provided specific details on its plans for the release of Xperia Z2a on other markets out there as well, and it remains to be seen whether the company will make such a move at all. Keep an eye on this space for more on the matter.

A Russian-based company got their hands on a real iPhone 6 casing. The back of the device has been photographed and filmed to show all the little details of the new design.

Feld & Volk is a company that mods iPhone and iPad and occasionally turns the iDevices into luxury items. They say they worked with a Chinese supplier, who managed to smuggle a real iPhone 6 rear shell out of the factory and now they are showing it to the public. This is certainly not the first iPhone 6 part to come out of the Chinese manufacturer's plants, but it is the first one to be shown in great detail. According to Macrumors, Feld and Volk says it has been working with the same factories that make spare parts for Apple products for more than six years, enabling it to get a head start on modifying the device for its customers. Feld & Volk has been using sapphire crystal on its high-end modified iPhones for several years, and says that its sapphire suppliers are the same ones Apple has begun working with more recently. The rear shell of the 4.7" iPhone 6 is handled on video as well. However, the part is not a complete one. The camera, buttons, and connectors are missing.

Also, one interesting detail is that the Apple logo is cut out of the shell. That may indicate that Apple will install a similar logo to the one on their computers, or it may have a more durable, non-metal embedded logo just like the one on the iPad. The Russian company that released these images speculates that the logo may be the housing for a NFC like antenna. This possibility was often mentioned in the past, but so far Apple has ignored the idea of expanding their devices to work with the NFC standards and pursued technologies like Bluetooth and iBeacon. iPhone 6 is expected to be released this fall. Reports by Chinese media suggested that the new devices will be presented by Apple on September 19th and launched in stores around the world just a week later, on September the 25th, 2014.

iPhone 6 is expected to come out in two different sizes: a 4.7 inch diagonal display and a 5.5 inch one. So far there have been only leaks related to the smaller size iPhone, including a sapphire display.

iPhone 6 body
Image credits to Feld & Folk

So it finally happens. We got this real iPhone 6 body. We will show it to you with the most popular news website about Apple-tech. Check us for upd. http://instagram.com/feldvolkhttps://www.facebook.com/feldvolkhttps://twitter.com/feldvolkMusic by Oleg Xaler https://www.facebook.com/oleg.xaler
Video credits to Feld & Folk

Earlier this month, the new Dell Venue 7 and 8 tablets were spotted making a stop at the FCC, so it was pretty clear to us they were going to be making it into retail soon enough.

Well, this day has come and now Dell has announced both slates have been made available in the US. The original Venue tablets were introduced back in 2013 and now Dell is taking an opportunity to refresh the lineup by bumping their speech sheet a little bit. First off, the two tablets now enjoy the services of the Intel Merrifield platform. The 8-inch model delivers FHD resolution (1920 x 1200 pixels) while relying on a 2.1GHz Intel Atom CPU Z3480. The tablets are fitted with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD card).

The 7-incher doesn’t offer the same advanced resolution, limiting itself to bringing just 1280 x 800 res to the tablet. The CPU under the hood is an Intel Atom Z3460. Both slates run Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box, so you won’t have to wait for any soft updates if you purchase this bunch. The 7-inch will take you back with $159 / €116, while the 8-incher will sell for $199 / €146. You can pick up both from the Dell website.

Well, this is certainly no surprise. Popular Chinese smartphone marker Xiaomi is looking to take up another product category, after it successfully entered the tablet ecosystem.

Why do we say successful? Following the MiPad’s launch in China, Xiaomi managed to sell the initial 50K tablet batch in just under 4 minutes. So given the fact the company has already conquered the smartphone ecosystem (at least in China) and is on its way to making a splash in the tablet world too, Xiaomi is looking for challenges somewhere else. And since wearables are the topic du-jour, it’s no wonder that Xiaomi wants to conquer this space, as well. According to the folks at GizChina, the company will soon be offering some fierce competition to the likes of FitBit, Jawbone and others. For the time being, it appears Xiaomi is looking to go into the smart band business and not the smartwatch one. How do we know this?

Well, it turns out that company’s CEO has been spotted wearing a mystery smart band, which it is believed to be Xiaomi’s first wearable devices. The rumor goes on to say that, like the company’s many products, this too will be a super affordable device that could be marketed for as little as $32 / €24 in China. On top of that, Xiaomi is said to be prepping the software that will be used to analyze and collect the data and communicate with the smartband, on top of everything. The report even mentions a name for the wearable. In league with different products coming from the company, the fitness band will probably be baptized the MiBand. At the moment, we’re not exactly sure what functionalities, sensors and apps we’ll see arrive with the wearable, but more information will probably leak out soon.

Since Xiaomi has been said to be looking to enter the competitive US market with some smartphone products, we can assume the MiBand will be brought along, especially since American customers are slowly starting to develop a taste for wearables. But that’s just a theory, at the moment. Xiaomi has just successfully released its first tablet product, the MiPad tablet, and it appears the company is ready to take up some new challenges. It would be interesting to see whether the company will eventually come up with a smartwatch product, one that will be disruptive enough price-wise to tear into the competition and their excessively expensive products.

Xiaomi presumambly wants to launch a wearable of its ownImage credits to GizChina

Wireless access points are quite important, as they allow anyone with a tablet, phone, or other Wi-Fi devices to use an Internet connection that would otherwise be accessible to a single device.

D-Link has just launched a wireless access point that has support for both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, with speeds of 300 Mbps through the former and 876 Mbps over the latter. Thus, the D-Link DAP-2660 is, essentially, a 1,176 Mbps device. It should allow several different users to surf the net without lag. Also, the DAP-2660 has internal antennas, which means that nothing disturbs its vaguely square shape with rounded edges. Built-in Authentication and Billing Options are supported, along with multiple operation modes: Access Point, Wireless Distribution System (WDS) with Access Point, WDS/Bridge, or Wireless Client role.

Moreover, you can control the settings of the access point over the web (HTTP), Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), Secure Shell (SSH), and even via D-Link Central WiFiManager when it comes to advanced network management. All in all, the D-Link DAP-2660 access point is above average in terms of performance, even among other dual-band Wi-Fi devices. Its price is $229.99 / €170. An AC to DC adapter is used to power it, though Power over Ethernet can be used as well, if you have a switch or midspan injector that supports IEEE 802.3af.

Jul 7, 2014

A couple of weeks back, Google made official a new flavor of its mobile operating system, one that will arrive on devices later this year under the name of Android L, but which has been released as a preview for developers and ported to Nexus 4 handsets.

Android L was pushed out as a preview only for the owners of Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 (2013) devices, but enthusiasts took their time to make it available for more users out there, and a Nexus 4 port is now available for download for all interested parties. This is only a beta release of Android L for Nexus 4, it seems, though it is the second beta, and it is said to be far more stable when compared to what the initial release had to offer.

The previous version included a series of bugs related to Bluetooth, camera, and NFC, but it appears that all of these issues have been resolved in the new iteration and that the port is fully functional now. The port is available for download through the XDA-Developers forum but, as Android Police notes, users should keep in mind that there are many applications that still don’t work on Android L and that the overall experience won’t be as good as one might expect.

With every leak that comes out of the Chinese factories, we get closer to understand what the new iPhone 6 will look like.

Latest info shows that the curvy, rounded-edges display will also be flexible. Also, Apple will work some magic for their batteries, as well. The battery specs for the 4.7" and 5.5" iPhone were shown today by Chinese websites. It appears that the smaller iDevice will sport an 1800 - 1900 mAh battery. This is a step up from the 1570 mAH battery the iPhone 5s has now, but the larger display may actually show that the new iPhone will have an inferior stand-by life. The rumored 5.5" iPhone will have a much larger battery - up to 2500 mAh. This is great if you compare it again with the current models, but the huge display will eat up this battery in no time. iClarifies notes that the 5.5 inch LG G3 has a 3000 mAh battery and the 5.7" Galaxy Note has a 3200 mAh battery. Is worth mentioning there's no way to verify this information, but the next one is verified by a good looking video posted by tech blogger Sonny Dickson.

It appears, the iPhone 6 will get all bendy. The almost 4-minute long video shows a supposedly white iPhone display with the home button. The panel looks like its made out of sapphire glass and it's the same size as the one we've seen at the end of last week. Sonny's video is doing a great job measuring each side of the display, then goes on showing the rounded edges to the camera. The home button shows no surprises with the same steel ring. This display has the same location for the camera cut hole - to the left of the earpiece. The best part of the video is the stress test that occurs three minutes into the video. The glass is bent and it even looks too flexible for an iPhone.

The latest rumors suggest that the iPhone will not have a Corning's Gorilla Glass display, but one made of sapphire which is virtually unbreakable in day to day operation. Apple is rumored to release a new iPhone at the end of September, so we only have to wait for two and a half months to see if these leaks are true.

Today, Japanese mobile phone maker Sony Mobile has started teasing a new selfie-centered smartphone for tomorrow, and some additional details on the device have emerged online, courtesy of leaked photos and a video with it.

The mobile phone hasn’t been officially named as of now, but rumor has it that it could arrive on shelves as Xperia C3. Moreover, a new report on the matter suggests that it would be codenamed Gina. The main selling point of this device will be a LED flash next to the front camera, which will allow users to take clear photos of themselves even in low-light conditions. The front camera on this phone might be of around 5 megapixels or higher, yet no specific info on the matter has been provided as of now. However, you can see the sensor and the LED flash in action in the video embedded below, available courtesy of ePrice. As XperiaBlog notes, the handset appears to have been packed with a special feature that will allow users to snap photos by double-tapping on its back. However, the function will act like some sort of a timer, as the picture will be snapped only several seconds after the phone is tapped twice.

Moreover, the clip shows some of the software that this new device will arrive on shelves with, and which resembles the Portrait Retouch camera app, allowing users to tweak their complexion with preset tones, and to change eye pattern as well. Other editing tools should also be included in the package. On top of that, the upcoming mobile phone appears to arrive on the market with a Self-portrait voice guide, similar to what the original Xperia C had to offer. Basically, the functionality will enable people to snap photos with the phone’s rear camera using their voice. The upcoming selfie phone from Sony is also said to include a 2500mAh battery, which will allow it to deliver long usage times.

According to ePrice, the handset might sport a 5-inch touchscreen display of unknown resolution, yet no confirmation on this has been provided as of now. All in all, specific details on what the phone will have to offer will emerge only tomorrow, when Sony officially introduces it. One other thing that should be noted here is the fact that Sony is also expected to announce the Xperia Z2a smartphone in Taiwan tomorrow, and chances are that the two will be unveiled simultaneously.

We reported late last month, Motorola confirmed the next version of Android, currently called L, will be arriving on Moto X and Moto G smartphones sometime in the fall.

However, what appeared to be an obvious confirmation from the US-based handset maker turned out to be just a speculation from an unofficial Facebook page, according to Motorola. Here is the company’s official statement regarding the previous rumors: "Unfortunately, we have found that a Facebook profile under the name ‘Motorola Germany’ with the following URL facebook.com/MotoDACH/ was created. We would like to point out that this is not an official Motorola site and expressly distance ourselves from said content. All relevant information about Motorola can be found only here on this page.”

Even though Motorola denied the confirmation of the Android L for Moto X and Moto G, it’s almost certain that the company will offer the update by the end of the year if nothing wrong happens. The assumption seems to be backed by the latest news on the presumably Android L update for the Moto X and Moto G, which confirms it for later this year. The folks over at AndroidOrigin have been recently tipped on the upcoming availability of Android L for Moto X and Moto G, which seems to have been confirmed by the company’s technical support reps. Although it’s not the most reliable source for this kind of information, it’s the first time that a Motorola official is pretty clear on the release of the highly anticipated Android L upgrade for both smartphones.

While replying to one of its customers, a Motorola technical support rep confirmed Android L would be released for Moto X and Moto G “once it is available.” This means that Motorola may offer the next major Android upgrade to Moto X and Moto G, as early as this fall. Google is likely to release Android L in October, but a more accurate timeframe is likely to be announced in the coming months. Moto E owners will probably be disappointed to hear Motorola did not confirm Android L will be released for this particular smartphone as well. According to the same Motorola technical support rep, the company does “not have any information as of today” in regard with Android L for Moto E. This means that Motorola is still assessing the possibility of Moto E getting this update as well, but a decision has yet to be made.